Spanish Embassy denies Nigerian U-15 football players, officials entry visas – NFF

The country’s football federation (NFF) has revealed that Nigeria’s Under-15 team members and officials have been denied visas to attend the UEFA U16 development tournament in Spain.

The NFF post reads, “Players and officials of the Nigeria U15 team, Future Eagles, have been denied visas by the Spanish Embassy and will therefore not be travelling to take part in the UEFA U16 Development Tournament starting on Friday.”

NFF‘s post did not say what reason had been given for the visa denials, and the Spanish authority has not yet commented.

The Future Eagles were set to leave Nigeria on Tuesday, ahead of their first match against Belgium on Friday. The 20-player squad was also due to play against Italy and England.

The UEFA Under-16 Youth Development Tournament, organised by Europe’s football governing body, has been held since 2012.

Following the visa denials, young footballers are hindered in the supposed smooth transition aimed at exposing them to international football.

This is not the first time. In February, the Nigerian national football team cancelled a friendly match against Argentina that was scheduled to take place in the United States due to delays in the players’ obtaining visas.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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